The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-08-06
Calves, from Milk to Grass.

From the american RHrM Home.
An error that farmers are too prone t.
fall into is, the idea that stock, at som'
periods of their growth, may be neglected
with little, or no loss, that may not be com
pensated for by high feeding at other times
This error cannot be abandoned too soon
and. until it is abandoned, great deal o.
stock will be reared and fed without profit
but with serious loss.
A great deal is said by advocates o.
thoroughbred stock in disparagement anc
derision of scrub bulls, and justly said, anc
we will yield to none in our estimate Of the
Importance of heredity, but we are of the
opinion that less money is lost by farmers
In breeding from grade bulls than in neg
lect in feeding, after the calves are born,
in fact, we think that one strong argument
in favor of using high blood males is, that
farmers will be more likely to feed and
treat their progeny better than they will
the progeny of scrub stock.
How often do we see calves that are
large, thriving, well-formed so long as fed
on milk, become thin, pot-bellied, homely,
soon after being turned out to pasture. In
many cases calves will scarcely weigh more
when put up for winter than when turned
out to pasture in June or July. And then
they will, very likely, be fed just enough
to keep them from starving through the
winter, and, when turned out to pasture the
next spring, they will be scarcely larger
than when three months old. Great doubt
is often expressed by farmers and espe-
cially dairy farmers, as to whether they can
afford to raise their calves; whether it is not
better policy to buy them when old enough
for cows, or to fatten for beef.
We have no hesitation in saying they
cannot afford to raise calves in the way very
many are raising them; if they should do
enough at it, it would bankrupt every one
of them. Farmers can neither afford to
breed, rear, feed or fatten stock unless they
keep them thriving; crowd them from the
time they are born until they send them
off the farm. But if they are ever going
to neglect to push their stock, let it be
almost any time rather than the first year.
In the first place, the change from milk
to grass should never be abrupt. After
the calves have been fed few days on new
milk, from the COW, little sweet skim milk
can be gradually introduced, mixed with
the new milk, and to compensate for the
loss of cream, a little oil meal can be stirred
in, or, where fax seed can be obtained,
Cruel can be made by boiling it in water
long time. A little of this cruel can be
mixed with the skim-milk, the amount be-
ing constantly increased with the growth of
the calf.
When about two months old the calf
can be turned into small pasture, near
the house, but should not be left to depend
upon the grass; keep up the feed of skim
milk and light rations of oil-meal, fine
middlings, oatmeal or some other kind of
nutritious grain If, when the calf is four
or FIVE months old, it is thought best to
discontinue the milk, give the meal mixed
with water, or even dry, if thought best.
The principle which we wish to enforce is,
that the aim should be to induce the calf
to eat all the nutritious food possible, con-
hstent with his health, ipstead of consid-
pring how little you can possibly keep him
alive -